It makes me cry harder. It’s not fair, damn it. What happened to me, what happened to Doug, what’s going to happen now—none of it is fair.
But life’s not fair. Life’s a kick in the ass, and you’re damn lucky if you make it to the bent and gray stage. There is evil in the world, evil that searches for the innocent to alter them. That is its only purpose, to convert good to evil. And it sends its minions to do its dirty work, and people like Curtis and Adrian heed the call willingly.
Why does it happen? Free will? An evil God overpowering a benevolent one? I don’t know.
I don’t know.
Samantha hands me a tissue and presses something soft into my hands. I wipe my eyes and look down to see an old stuffed lion, once the prize of my existence, my most favorite toy. My father gave it to me for my birthday the same year I disappeared. Before that I wouldn’t go anywhere without it.
“Where did you find this?” I ask her.
“We just came from a visit with your parents. In case you’d gone to see them.” Her face clouded. She must have met Maureen. “We found this in your old camp. Did you stay there last night?”
“Yes. But I didn’t see Simba. I used to love this thing.”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m reminded of who I was before, who I might have been. It’s disconcerting. If I’m not careful, it’s going to deviate me from my path.
I’d debated over breaking into my old house last night, but figured I was safer in the camp. I hadn’t realized the police were this close on my trail.
I must be more careful.
Chapter
39
SAM HELD THE girl and let her cry herself out. To his credit, Xander simply shrugged and went into the kitchen to put on the kettle. He emerged five minutes later with a teapot, three thick mugs and a bottle of Bunnahabhain.
Kaylie’s sobs were slowing into hiccups and breathy gasps. She loosened her hold and collapsed back into the sofa, exhausted.
Xander poured the girl a cup of tea, and held up the bottle of Scotch enticingly. She took a deep breath, wiped her nose with her fingers and nodded. He poured a healthy slug and handed her the mug, then repeated the process for Sam and himself. They all took a polite sip, then Sam cleared her throat. This girl was clearly tough, but also as fragile as a soap bubble. Sam was worried that if she said or did the wrong thing, the girl would simply up and disappear right in front of their eyes. She was careful to keep her voice gentle and soft.
“Kaylie, why did you break into my house?”
She didn’t hesitate. “To be safe. I couldn’t wait outside on the steps in case he came for me. He found me in the woods, but I managed to get away. I jumped off a cliff. He didn’t see that coming.”
Sam looked closer. The girl had a bruise across her jaw. She noticed Sam looking and her hands went to the spot, covering it in shame.
“He did that to you?”
She nodded.
“Who’s he? The man who killed Doug Matcliff?”
“Yes. He is a bad man.”
She sounded like a child when she said it, though it was as matter-of-fact as saying the sky was blue and the sun yellow.
“Who is he? Who killed Doug? Who’s chasing you? And where have you been all these years? With Doug?” Sam stopped. “Sorry. Sorry. You tell us what you can, at your own pace. As you can see, we have a lot of unanswered questions.”
“So you promise I won’t get into trouble if I tell you the truth?”
“Not with us. No.”
Her face clouded. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Until you tell us what happened, sweetie, we don’t know what to do to help you. Who is the bad man?”
“He is the angel of death.” Her eyes grew far away, revisiting a remembered loss, and Sam exchanged a look with Xander, who sighed quietly and took a deep sip of his tea. They were in for a long night.
“The angel of death. Does he have a name?” Sam asked.
Kaylie shuddered. “Adrian. He is her Sacrificiant. He is the one who kidnapped me. And did awful, unspeakable things to me. All because she told him to. But I think he liked it.”
“Okay. Good. His name is Adrian. And she would be?”
Kaylie took a deep breath and seemed to snap back into reality. Her eyes focused on Sam. She took a gulp of tea.